As we fast approach the tail-end of 2022, it’s time to reflect back on some of our favorite video game moments of the year. Of course, while modern gaming often focuses upon venturing into exotic worlds on your lonesome or going toe-to-toe in multiplayer, there’s a vast swathe of co-op games that see players working together in unison in cheerful harmony – d’aww. With that in mind, here are our choice picks for the best co-op games of 2022, as voted on by our staff and editors.
Honorable Mention: Rainbow Six Extraction
Weekend Editor, Keenan McCall: For all of the changes Rainbow Six Extraction brings to the series’ formula, it’s still one of the most reliably fun co-op experiences to release this year.
Blending the best parts of Rainbow Six Siege with the team-based survival elements of something like Left 4 Dead, the game sets the stage for fast and engaging gameplay sessions alongside up to two friends. There are a variety of tasks and objectives one might be given to complete, and each offers their own quirks to account for by cooperating with said friends.
This is to say nothing of how varied the different characters’ playstyles are and how they impact the gameplay when diving in with friends. One can approach infiltrations in a variety of ways thanks to the different Operator classes carried over from Siege, and they become all the more fun to play as when players dive in together.
They can go in guns blazing, with offensively-minded Operators bringing fire and fury down on the Archaeans. Likewise, they can get more strategic, spreading themselves across several different character types to support one another’s efforts through special skills, revives, or well-timed distractions.
The gameplay remains active and adaptable from session to session, too. Reacting to other players’ maneuvers, and figuring out how best to do one’s part to ensure everyone completes the mission alive, is a constantly shifting puzzle that can maintain its charm even dozens of hours in.
Topping all this off is the fact that there’s still plenty of room for Extraction to grow, adapt, and evolve into a title that brings players together for years to come.
Honorable Mention: Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Senior Editor, Alex Gibson: Dying Light 2 was firmly on Twinfinite’s radar from the very first time developer Techland spilled the guts on its plans to develop the sequel around a stronger focus on role-playing mechanics. We covered it in preview way back at E3 2018, but it wasn’t until four years later that it was finally ready for launch.
Ironically, as it turned out, it wasn’t really the branching dialog and meatier RPG stuff that proved Dying Light 2’s strong suit; instead, it was the same old open-world-playground formula that the original was similarly beloved for, and it was made even better experienced co-operatively with a pal. Villedor really is a sandbox made for playing in, despite all the gruesome monstrosities lurking in its darkest corners. It’s one of the year’s most entertaining multiplayer experiences, and we couldn’t get enough of buddying up and vaulting across its towering skyline from one quest to the next.
If you haven’t already jumped into the action, then consider popping it on the list for a fun holiday game. And with Techland pledged to support the game for years to come with new content, it’s one you can continue enjoying long into the future.
Second Runner-Up: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Associate Editor, Dylan Chaundy: The Lego games have always been well-known for their pick-up-and-play couch co-op, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is no different. Hopping in to play split-screen with a friendo is as easy as 1-2-3, and thanks to its simplicity and approachability, it’s a great option for those with a handful of kiddos (read: adults with Peter Pan syndrome like yours truly) that may be in want of some fun-filled entertainment.
Impressively, The Skywalker Saga manages to squeeze all nine core films into one jam-packed package. So, if you’re a fan of that galaxy far, far away, then chances are there’ll be a Lego video game adaptation of one of your favorite movies, replete with amusing takes on iconic Star Wars cut-scenes, John Williams’ emblematic score, and some surprisingly solid third-person shooting.
Add in some really cool space-faring missions where you get to fly classic spacecraft like everybody’s favorite rust bucket, the Millennium Falcon, and then throw in a deep well of secret unlockable content like cheats, characters, and extra modes, and you’re left with one of the most wholesome and enjoyable co-op experiences of the year. No small feat, indeed!